To the Stars
by Webdog177
Summary: Yumi Fukuzawa, newly enlisted Private of the EFF, starts her new life aboard the Lillian. What kind of friends will she make among the stars? Will she grow to be the woman she wants to be? What will she make of the next three years aboard the ship she has wanted to join since she was young? [AU one-shot prompt]


A/N: I do not own Maria-sama ga Miteru. *snigger* Don't know why I laughed.

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EDIT: (12/20/2016): I had received some... _'polite'_ requests to update To the Stars and not my other fics. I wanted to reiterate that To the Stars will NOT be continued, and is simply a one-shot 'what if' scenario. You can see that this essentially follows the canon MariMite story, only in space. I will not continue this, because the majority of the content would mirror the canon story. Not very creative.

By the way, when I said _'polite'_ , I meant only barely.

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So, here I was going through my older fanfic stuff, and buried right there along with my old Love Hina, Negima and Kannazuki no Miko (what started me on Yuri, FYI) fics that never saw the light of day, I managed to dig up this thing I wrote way back when.

This NOT intended to be a story - this was simply something that struck me at one time when I was playing Mass Effect 3 and going through my old episodes of Star Trek TNG (yea... im a trekkie, fight me!), and first starting to actively write fanfiction. As I said, this was never intended to be a story by itself. This was just meant to be a prompt, or a 'what if' scenario.

Basically, this is something to make you and I think, if the MariMite universe was different, could it be like the below? If so, if could possibly be like this.

Also, it makes me giggle whenever I read it, for some reason.

Enjoy.

0 – 0 – 0

 **To The Stars**

0 – 0 – 0

 **Pilot Episode**

 **Welcome to the** ** _Lillian_** **!**

0 – 0 – 0

Yumi Fukuzawa, newly enlisted Private of the EEF, stood in the brightly cleaned and spit-polished assignment office of the Earth Expeditionary Force space station, _Quintis_. Her brand new enlistee uniform adorning her smallish frame, a bright, fresh smile gracing her face, her chocolate brown eyes scanning up and down the enlistee sorting screen for her name. It only took a moment.

"Y-u-m-i… Fukuzawa… Ah! There I am!" She called out to no one in particular, pointing at her own name. "Assignment… goods procurement… okay. Assigned vessel… Rehhhhh?" She gasped and blinked, rubbing her eyes in surprise. "The _Lillian?_ " Her surprise quickly turned to elation as the name of the vessel sunk into the forefront of her mind.

The _Lillian_ was one of the most famous non-combat vessels in the Earth Expeditionary Forces, or the EEF. The EEF was a long-standing, non-profit organization created for the sole purpose of exploring the vast vicinity of space, transporting civilian personnel from colony to colony, and acting as mediators between political parties in different parts of the galaxy... among a few other duties. It was an extremely famous, military-staffed-but-not-run, galactic organization. The _Lillian_ , as an old and very traditional vessel in the EEF, was very well-known. The fact that Yumi was assigned to a vessel like _The Lillian_ was indeed good fortune.

"Yumi-chan!"A voice called out from the side.

Yumi turned to see Tsutako Takeshima skipping up to her side, her ever-present camera gripped tightly in her hand while the strap hung from her neck. Tsutako was a girl that had graduated junior academy the same time as her, and one of the only girls who had decided to join the EEF along with her. She was a fairly well-meaning girl, but a bit eccentric when it came to photography.

Photography as well as privacy.

For starters, the young woman _never_ went anywhere without her camera. Yumi's younger brother, Yuuki, never went anywhere without his portable video game player, and Tsutako never went anywhere without her camera.

Another thing was that the girl would often snap off a picture or two just because she sees something of interest. No matter if it were a couple kissing in public, a cute animal that she happened to see, or Yumi changing clothes – that last one actually happened a week prior – It didn't matter, as Tsutako would just go head and take pictures of anything she liked.

Sometimes, Yumi wondered if she were the normal one by not having such a vice in her life, or if she was indeed the weird one by not having anything.

"Gokigenyou, Tsutako-san!" Yumi greeted her friend formally, keeping a smile on her face. She ignored her friend snapped off a quick picture of her face as she stopped in front of her. "Do you know where you are assigned yet?"

Tsutako smirked lightly and pointed to the large screen in front of them. Yumi looked and scanned the list for her friend's name. It only took a few moments to find it, and she grinned when she did.

"Ah! The _Lillian_! Same as me! We are going to be on the same ship!" The two girls gave a cheer and slapped their hands together enthusiastically.

"Yep!" Tsutako said, nodding happily. "And I am in optical media and digital communication, too. Perfect fit, eh?" She hefted her large camera for emphasis.

Yumi was not surprised in the least. It was, after all, what Tsutako was best at. It was only natural that she be given an assignment that would fit her strengths. Herself, on the other hand…

Yumi felt herself deflate a little.

She had been given procurement simply due to the fact that Yumi, as she very well knew, had no special skills that made her stand out in any particular way. Her grades in junior academy were average, she didn't have any aspirations to take note of, she wasn't particularly skilled… she was just the epitome of _average_.

That was why she didn't really mind being assigned to procurement. She just loved to help people in any way possible. It wasn't as though it was a bad job, however… it really wasn't. There were much less desirable assignments on space vessels. But procurement, as her mother and father back on Earth would say, wouldn't look exemplary on the end of duration report for the senior academies.

After graduating junior academy at fifteen years of age, most people on Earth had a choice. They could continue their education in middle academies; that is… if they had the grades or the finances to allow it. That was one option. Another option, among many others, is the exact one that Yumi Fukuzawa has opted for. Instead of applying for the numerous middle academies on earth, she had volunteered for the EEF. Because the EEF is non-profit and a well-known organization that also happens to hurt for volunteers, if an enlistee completes a three-year term on an EEF vessel, then the tuition for upper academies is more or less paid for by the enlistee's respective government.

It was generally a way to encourage more participants to take part in the noble privilege of space travel and exploration, and gain vast experience in the real world… so to speak. The fact that most students that volunteer for EEF terms are from well-off families mean that the fact that tuition is paid for is moot. Most people that volunteer have other reasons for their decision.

It looked really good on a resume, after all.

However, as most of the enlistees are military, the EEF was generally thought of as a military-run organization. This was not the case. The EEF accepted military as well as non-military personnel. Not only that, but due to the large amounts of volunteers that graduate from junior academies and immediately volunteer, the vast majority of enlistees are not quite of age. In fact, most of them still continue their education while serving in the EEF.

To help with education of the enlistees, the EEF staffs each vessel with a full complement of educational facilitators for the purpose of holding classes for the volunteers serving on each vessel. In layman's terms, each vessel of the EEF is a middle academy that operates in space.

That was perfect for Yumi, as a star-travelling academy was exactly what she wanted.

And the _Lillian_ was perhaps the one she had wanted to be assigned to the most.

Yumi smiled at her friend and nodded. "I'm really happy for you, Tsutako-san! Maybe sometime you can sneak me into your assignment and I can help you." She winked at her friend, giggling. The two girls enjoyed each other's company for a while, until the announcement sounded calling for the new enlistees boarding the _Lillian_ to move to the departure lift.

Finding the correct area was fairly easy. Numerous young women littered the area, all wearing the same dark, with an almost unnoticeable splash of green, private uniform that showed they were to serve aboard the _Lillian_.

The _Lillian_ was perhaps unique in the EEF in that the vessel was one of the only ones that were in operation to allow only women to serve upon it. Not only that, but the vessel also was traditionally Catholic. One might think this odd, in this day and age of space exploration. But some people still preferred to have religious aspects of education as well as exploration.

That was not to say that the _Lillian_ was a missionary vessel; it wasn't. The fact that every student, officer, and crewer aboard the vessel was under the watchful eye of Maria-sama had no bearing on anything else than the disposition of the crew, and how one should act as a person.

Every crewer, officer, and student serving on the _Lillian_ was expected to be the epitome of a lady. One should always walk slowly, lest it disturb your uniform. One should greet one another with a friendly and polite "Gokigenyou". Running is discouraged, even if one is in danger of missing lessons or an assignment… such is the standard of modesty there. Many maidens that serve aboard the _Lillian_ leave the vessel a nurtured lady; cultured, carefully sculpted and ready to enter the world a better person.

In other words, most of the crew and officers of the _Lillian_ were from well-off catholic families, whether or not they themselves were catholic.

Again, it was exactly what Yumi wanted out of an academy.

There was another reason why she wanted to be placed aboard the _Lillian_ , however. And that reason was standing on the podium besides a small group of other girls in front of the group of new enlistees. Yumi's gaze fell on her target, and immediately felt her breath catch in her throat. In the middle of her view was a young woman with long, black hair. Her sharp features accented her dark blue eyes perfectly. Her spotless, clean, and wrinkle-free uniform made it clear to all that this was a girl who values presentation and cleanliness over many other things. Yumi knew exactly who she was. She was the reason she specifically wrote down the _Lillian_ on her vessel request form. She was Yumi's only reason for even considering going into space.

Sachiko Ogasawara.

Daughter to the Ogasawara fortune… extremely well-known and well-connected in the country of Japan… currently serving her second year on the EEF vessel, the _Lillian_. Prim, elegant, somewhat aloof, and even afraid of heights… oh yes, Yumi had indeed done her homework on the girl (She was an enlistee – 2nd lieutenant, as it happened).

Sachiko Ogasawara, known on the _Lillian_ as "Rosa Chinensis en bouton", was indeed a famous officer that was looked up to as well as an object of the entire ship's affections.

The thought of Sachiko being so popular brought a sick feeling to Yumi's stomach. As popular and talented as the one-year older girl was, there was absolutely no way she would even notice Yumi. Even if she was on the same ship for an entire three years; that's just the kind of girl Yumi was. Boring, dull, and unnoticeable.

Tsutako's voice from beside her jolted Yumi back to attention. "Wow! Look! That is Rosa Chinensis talking!" She said, aiming her camera to the podium, her shutter clicking away madly. Yumi shifted her gaze from Sachiko to the girl beside her, who was currently talking into a small wireless voice amplifier.

The girl was, as Yumi could recognize, Youko Mizuno (not enlisted), otherwise known as "Rosa Chinensis", one of the main officers of the _Lillian_.

The _Lillian_ employed a certain system of command, as the majority of its crewers were students (military and non-military). Vastly different from the other vessels in the EEF, the _Lillian_ uses an officer system called the _Yamiyurikai_. The Yamiyurikai is made up of three separate officers; the titles being "Rosa Foetida", or the Yellow Rose, "Rosa Gigantea", the White Rose, and "Rosa Chinensis", the Red Rose. These officers were voted for by the entire crew of the vessel (excluding the educational facilitators), and were chosen to essentially be the management and officers of the entire ship, its crew, and the different parts of the vessel.

This would normally be a large task for three people, not even out of their teens. That is why the _Lillian_ also has a _soeur_ system. The "soeur" system (Soeur being French for "sister") was essentially the crewers and members of the vessel pairing up to teach each other, learn from each other, and help each other as each generation of enlistee grows and matures. Older crewmembers form a soeur relationship with a younger enlistee, and help the younger girl learn and grow as a member of the crew. The two are effectively sisters, and the relationship is treated as similar to a real family aboard the _Lillian_.

The soeur system, which had been in practice since the _Lillian_ was first christened, was the reason the vessel has been in service for so long despite the fact that it was run by almost all students still in middle academy. Away from the tutelage of most adults and actual enlisted officers of the military, one would think that young maidens would be run astray. Surprisingly, however, with the practice of the soeur system, each member of the crew is put on the right path by their soeur, and in turn teaches the younger generation how to properly behave and conduct oneself. It is a system that has never truly been imitated anywhere else currently known by humanity except aboard the _Lillian_.

Yumi stared at Rosa Chinensis, who was currently giving a quite stirring speech as one of the acting captains of the _Lillian_ before the new first-years were welcomed onto the ship. Also with the young woman on the podium was Sachiko (who was soeurs with Rosa Chinensis), Sei Satou (who held the title of Rosa Gigantea; not enlisted), Erika Torii (who was currently Rosa Foetida; enlisted – 1st Lieutenant and currently the highest ranking officer on the _Lillian_ ), and two other girls that Yumi did not recognize immediately. One was a tall, masculine-looking young woman that had the air of discipline around her. Her light-colored hair was cut short, and her features accented her entire look perfectly. The last was a thin, somewhat frail-looking girl with her dark hair tied into thin braids along the sides of her head.

She assumed they were the "younger sisters", or the petite soeurs, of the Rosa Gigantea or Rosa Foetida. She couldn't be entirely sure. It was something Yumi would have to find out later.

All six girls were equally immaculate, equally beautiful, and equally all unlike Yumi.

"Wow… she's something, huh?" Tsutako let out a soft whistle beside Yumi. "It's hard to think that they are only two years above us."

"I know…" Said Yumi. Rosa Chinensis, Rosa Gigantea, and Rosa Foetida were all third year students aboard the _Lillian_. They had been unanimously voted for by the crew to act as the Yamiyurikai and be the officer council of the ship. Obviously, all three young women were quite intelligent, beautiful, intimidating, and capable.

Rosa Chinensis stepped back, allowing Rosa Foetida to take her place and continue with the welcoming speech. There was short, yet loud applause as the two traded places.

"Are you excited?" Tsutako peeked at Yumi from her camera lens.

"My stomach is doing somersaults."

"Haha! That's because you can finally meet your precious Sachiko-sama, isn't it?"

On the _Lillian_ , the use of family names is discouraged, as it brings about something of a stiff air through the ranks of students and enlistees. Therefore, all the crew (excluding the educational facilitators), use given names when either talking about someone, or talking to someone. Tsutako was already used to it, as she had said Sachiko's given name suddenly.

Yumi gave a short squeal and clamped her hand over her friend's mouth. If there was one thing she didn't want, it was to have anyone overhear and get the wrong idea about her.

"No! No no no no no!" She said frantically, feeling her cheeks warm in embarrassment. "I mean – well - of course I'm happy I can finally serve on the same vessel as S-Sachiko-sama! But it's nothing special like I came here for only her - or something!"

Tsutako smirked at Yumi and shrugged. "Alright, alright. Whatever you say…"

The speech continued as Rosa Foetida made way for Rosa Gigantea to say her bit, and the welcoming speech ended with a loud, yet surprisingly polite and subdued applause. It was to be expected from young maidens that were to join the ranks of the _Lillian_.

The three roses stepped forward together, and all made a welcoming gesture with their arms. In most cases, Yumi would have found it a little campy, but when the three young women did it, it looked absolutely stunning.

"Welcome-" They said in unison as silence came over the entire group of first years. "To the _Lillian_."

As they finished, the lift platform everyone was standing on lurched ever so slightly. Yumi had expected this, and held her breath in anticipation as the large window in front of everyone changed scenery. The large departure lift lowered itself towards the space dock, slowly revealing a number of ships that were dry-docked behind the thick plate glass. Yumi could recognize _The Hanadera_ in the background, and she was certain her younger brother was currently going through the same first year welcoming ceremony on that side.

But what caught her complete attention, as it rose into the vision of every first year girl in the lift, was the _Lillian_.

As a spacefaring ship, the _Lillian_ was quite old. However, it had been expertly and lovingly maintained every year of its century-long duration of service. Its paint was a perfect mix eggshell off-white and azure. Its form was, while not perfectly sleek, was certainly not unattractive. Many people had taken to calling the _Lillian_ "Maria-sama's sapphire". This was most likely due to its shape and choice of color. Its shape was similar to a sideways tear-drop, or that of an attractively-cut jewel. The edges and trim of the ship itself was a nice, deep blue while the general shade was its famous off-white.

All in all, it was just as beautiful as Yumi had seen in all the pictures.

"Wa-!" Yumi let out a breath, her eyes wide as she took in the entirety of the ship she would live in the next three years.

"You can say that again." Tsutako said, clicking away at her camera frantically.

0 – 0 – 0

It took almost no time at all for Yumi Fukuzawa to fall into a certain rhythm aboard the _Lillian_. As she had spent her entire summer learning everything she could about the vessel, she practically knew it inside and out even before she had stepped foot into its interior.

In the mornings Yumi would awaken. After a few moments of stumbling around sleepily, she would make her way down to the first year's washroom on her floor in the dormitory level. Each year (1st, 2nd, and 3rd) had their own dormitory floors, and each floor was divided into different sections for fewer students to crowd the washrooms and walkways. Essentially, Yumi shared a large, comfortable washroom with five other first-year girls, including Tsutako.

After taking a morning shower and making sure she was as clean as possible, she would dress in her dark green _Lillian_ uniform and, making sure she was appropriately presentable, she would make her way to the mess hall.

The mess hall was not actually as bad as it sounded. Everyone called the mess hall the "cafeteria" to keep up the academy atmosphere. It was large, extremely large in fact; large enough to hold all the crew of the _Lillian_ as well as the educators and then some comfortably. It was clean, roomy, comfortable, and actually gave of a lounge-like atmosphere. Which was funny, because the ship was supposed to be a catholic vessel. But, no one really minded. Apparently, it was the students and enlistees who were determined to keep it that way.

After eating a filling breakfast (which was prepared by cooking-talented fellow students assigned to food preperation), Yumi would head off to her morning classes. 1st years always had morning classes until the early afternoon to keep up the habit of attending a middle academy schedule. The curriculum was a standard one with mathematics and sciences, history and literature, cultural studies and languages (which was a vast amount considering how humans lived in separate planets and colonies now), as well as sports. There were clubs students and enlistees could attend, and the _Lillian_ even allowed inter-ship sport and club competitions.

All in all, it was a proper academy among the stars.

After lessons, the students of the _Lillian_ would attend to their assignments. The vessel, in order to be kept running properly, had to have each of its passengers act not only as students, but also as crewmembers. There were students studying to be pilots, and they were assigned to the bridge. There were students studying to be in communication and media, like Yumi's friend Tsutako, and they were assigned to the communications section. And so forth it went on.

Yumi, being placed in procurement, or the acquisition of goods (as a result from her having no special skills so speak of), would work with the supply section of the ship. Being a 1st year, she did not have any large jobs to do. The majority of the work was done by the 2nd and 3rd year students, but she was still included on how procurement and goods acquisition was done. She was treated well from her peers and upper-classmen, too. All being in the same assignment, the students treated each other very well and properly.

Yumi also was able to continue spending time with her friend Tsutako, even though the two had different assignments. They had the same classes (being first years, it was likely that they would be placed together for at least a couple classes), and would usually eat lunch and breakfast together.

Yumi had never considered herself an unhappy person back of Earth. But now that she was living among the stars aboard the _Lillian_ , she wondered whatever had taken her so long to get there.

0 – 0 – 0

It all started one morning four months after Yumi had joined the _Lillian_.

She had woken up at her usual time of 6:00 JST (Japan Standard Time; which is the time the vessel constantly ran at), and taken an unusually refreshing shower. Taking a moment to say hello to Makiko ("Gokigenyou, Makiko-san."), one of the girls she shared the washroom with, Yumi made her way back to her room to dress.

On her way to the cafeteria, she stopped by the figure of Maria-sama, which was located in the main hallway from the dormitories to the cafeteria, to give her morning prayers. Aboard the _Lillian_ , while not everyone was especially catholic, it was expected to give your regards to Maria-sama in return for her watching over you as you spend our time aboard her ship.

Holding her hands together in prayer, Yumi said a few thankful words to Maria-sama, and then turned to continue her walk to the cafeteria.

"Wait."

Having been spoken to, you must first stop and then answer with a "yes?", and then turn your entire body around towards the speaker. You must not act rushed or in a hurry, even if it was entirely unexpected. Simply "turning one's head" is most specifically unladylike conduct aboard the _Lillian_. One must be as elegant as possible, and be as prim as possible. That is why as you turn your body to look at your company, you should smile and say "Gokigenyou".

Unfortunately, Yumi was unable to answer with a smile and a "Gokigenyou" this morning.

Because the person that called out to her struck Yumi's voice from her body.

Only sheer will and practice kept poor Yumi from jumping out of her skin. Specifically, her sheer astonishment was so intense that her bodily actions lagged severely behind her thoughts, effectively freezing her in place.

"Um… did you mean… me?" Yumi managed to stammer out after a moment of thawing herself.

"Indeed so." The young woman who had called out to her said softly. "I am indeed the one who spoke, and you are the only other one here. So, yes, I did mean you."

Yumi felt an intense urge to run away and hide in her room. But, as she was in a state of near-panic, she kept herself rooted in place. The girl wore a thin, beautiful smile, and walked in a strait, determined line towards Yumi. Because the two girls were in different grades, they had never really had a prior chance to see each other face to face before. This was even the first time Yumi had heard her voice clearly.

Her waist-length, black hair shines brightly in the light. A soft scent tickled Yumi's nose as she stopped in front of her. Distantly, Yumi found herself wondering what kind of shampoo she used in the mornings.

"Here. Hold this, please." She said, holding out her bad towards Yumi.

Yumi complied, still confused and shocked at the girl who had suddenly talked to her. She reached out towards Yumi's neck, and Yumi felt a sudden urge to cry out a shrill "Kya~!"

She settled with shutting her eyes tightly, and lowered her chin in a somewhat defensive gesture. She felt the girls hands fumble with the fabric below her neck.

"Your tie, it was crooked."

"Ehh?"

Yumi opened her eyes, and found that the beautiful face and dark blue eyes were still in front of her. Obviously, she had just fixed Yumi's tie.

"Please be aware that Maria-sama watches your personal appearance. You must as well." The girl said and, with a soft "Gokigenyou", walked past Yumi towards the cafeteria.

Yumi swallowed against a dry throat and watched the young woman go. Against the large plate-glass window of the hallway, it looked as though she was walking against a backdrop of stars and Milky Way. Coincidentally, the _Lillian_ was passing a particularly lovely view of the Milky Way. It was a breathtaking view to Yumi, who was still shaking slightly in the aftermath of what had just happened.

"She was…" Yumi heard her voice slip out shakily. Indeed it was. The girl that had just fixed her tie had definitely been Rosa Chinensis en bouton 2nd lieutenant, Sachiko Ogasawara.

"That's…" her voice sounded completely unlike her own. "That's… not fair!" She said and her legs gave out under her. With a near-soundless 'thud' she fell to the deck and let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

She desperately hoped no one had seen that.

0 – 0 – 0

"Yuuuuumi-chan…" Tsutako sat in a desk in front of Yumi during a break between classes, an evil look in her eyes. It shone clearly through the girl's rimless glasses.

"Good morning, Tsutako-san." Yumi smiled, putting her textbook in her bag. "You arrived to class late earlier. Are you alright?"

Tsutako had indeed come to class a good three hours late that morning. Even late, she walked into the room with a wide smile on her face and, taking a moment to apologize to the educator for her tardiness, took a seat. When the lesson ended, she made a b-line directly towards Yumi's desk.

"Oh, I'm excellent this morning. I was going to eat breakfast, but I had to run to my clubroom to develop a picture I took at once." Her smile slid seamlessly into a smirk.

"A picture? Of what?"

"See for yourself…" Tsutako reached into her back and took out a thin, manila envelope. Yumi took the envelope and opened it, taking out the picture inside. She took a moment to look at the photo-

"Rehhhh?" Yumi raised her voice far beyond what was generally acceptable for a student aboard the _Lillian_. "This- this is-!"

The picture was a perfect shot of earlier that morning. Yumi was standing directly in front of the figure of Maria-sama, and Sachiko Ogasawara was calmly fixing the younger girl's tie. On either side of Maria-sama were stars that could be seen from the windows into space. Yumi and Sachiko both looked as though they were surrounded by stars, with the figure of Maria-sama between them. It, from what Yumi could tell, was perhaps Tsutako's best picture that she had ever seen. The angle was perfect for the shot, and the features of both Yumi and Sachiko were clearly visible.

"W-where did you get this-?" Yumi demanded, her eyes scanning every millimeter of the photo.

"From the adjoining hallway in front of Maria-sama. I happened to pass by when I saw the most _perfect_ photo opportunity. I was thinking of making it into a holograph, so one could view it in all of its three-dimensional glory. What do you think?" She smirked and leaned her elbows on Yumi's desk. "The title is 'Training', by the way."

"Can I have this?" Yumi asked, still not taking her eyes off the picture. Tsutako giggled and took the picture back, gently slipping it back into the manila envelope.

"Perhaps. I have a few conditions, though."

"C-conditions?" Yumi asked, suddenly remembering her friend's eccentricities when it came to that kind of thing.

"Yes. As you know, I am part of the photography club… of which I am one of the only members…" Her shoulders fell a little. "Be that as it may, there is an art exhibition consisting of the different art clubs aboard ship; the photography club, the painting club, and so on and so on. Additionally, I make contributions to the newsletter club; you know, the club and releases the weekly newsletter about the ship and whatnot."

"Uh huh…" Yumi nodded. She felt as though she knew where Tsutako was going with this.

"I want your permission to use this picture for the exhibition and, if wanted, the newsletter. The blood-sucking parasites that they are… but they are still popular. What do you say?

Yumi looked from her friend, and back to the photo. "An exhibition…?" She voiced, quite unsure. She wanted to photo, of course… but having it up for everyone to see?

"You don't want it?" Tsutako smirked, waving the envelope in front of Yumi's face. "Come on, it's a picture of you and your precious Sachiko-sama… are you sure you don't want it?"

"You're so evil…" Yumi pouted, clearly losing the battle. Her friend shrugged again.

"When it serves my purposes." She narrowed her eyes. "However, there is another condition: you need to get her permission. Rosa Chinensis en bouton's, to be exact."

Yumi made another loud noise of surprise. "Rehhhhh? Impossible! Absolutely impossible! No way! No way no way!" She waved her arms around in front of her.

"Why is it impossible?" Tsutako's eyebrow rose questioningly. "It can't hurt to try, can it?"

Yumi felt herself deflate. "It's impossible. I'm no one. Why would she say we can use the picture? She probably just fixed my tie because she saw me and thought 'Ara, ara… what a slovenly student in my presence…'." She shook her head. "No, it's impossible."

"Well, if you're so slovenly, can't you use that to your advantage? It let you get closer to her after all. Good impersonation, by the way." Tsutako smiled lopsidedly.

A soft chime interrupted their conversation, signaling the start of the next lesson. Tsutako stood up, shooting a last look that screamed "This isn't over yet!", and made her way back to her seat. Yumi shuddered at the look and, even though she really wanted the picture, desperately hoped her friend would just drop the subject.

In the back of her mind though, she knew Tsutako was more determined than that.

0 – 0 – 0

Yumi silently cursed herself as she stood in front of the entrance to the _Rose Mansion_.

Tsutako had eventually cajoled her into going to Rosa Chinensis en bouton to get her permission to use the photo, of course. As a friend, Tsutako knew every little thing that could get Yumi to do what she wanted… most things, anyway. So, right after classes, they made their way towards the Yamiyurikai's area of the ship.

The Rose Mansion, where the Roses and officers of the Yamiyurikai were generally stationed, was obviously not a mansion. One would hear Rose Mansion and think "How would a mansion possibly be in a spaceship?" The answer is, not at all. The Rose Mansion was actually just another area of the ship. However, the particular makeup of the area was the reason it was called a mansion. Instead of plastic, metal, and silicon, the material that made up all the walls and furnishing was all wooden, and quite attractive at that. Because of the tradition, rustic feel of the area, and the occupants, everyone had taken to calling it the Rose Mansion.

"Tsutako-saaaaaan…" Yumi whined quietly, afraid someone behind the wooden door would hear her. "Can't you _please_ just ask her yourself?"

Her friend shook her head, 'tsk tsk-ing' to herself loudly. "I think not, Yumi-chan. It's your picture, so you have to suck it up and get the permission yourself."

Yumi swallowed and slowly reached her hand out to the wooden door. There wasn't an electronic chime here, as there was in most doorways, so the only way to get someone's attention would be to knock.

"Do you have some business in the Rose Mansion?" Yumi heard a voice behind her, and she and Tsutako both started, turning around as slowly as they had been trained to.

"Ah, Rosa Gigantea en bouton, gokigenyou." Tsutako greeted cheerfully.

In front of the two was Shimako Toudou, otherwise known as Rosa Gigantea en bouton – not enlisted – the petite soeur of Rosa Gigantea. She had recently become (if a month ago is recent) soeurs with the 3rd year Yamiyurikai officer, Yumi knew. She was also classmates with both Yumi and Tsutako. Exceedingly pretty, Shimako had wavy, chestnut-colored hair and large eyes. Her skin, especially in the right light, shone brightly and gave off the impression of an antique doll.

"G-gokigenyou, Shimako-san." Yumi stammered, looking at the ground nervously.

"Gokigenyou, Yumi-san, Tsutako-san." The girl said softly, casting a smile to both. "Did you two want to come inside the Rosa Mansion today?"

Tsutako laughed quietly and scratched behind her head. "Ah... actually, we had some business with Rosa Chinensis en bouton. Do you know if she is in?"

"Sachiko-sama?" Shimako tilted her head, thinking. "I believe she is in today. Shall we go see?" With that, she stepped past the two girls and opened the wooden door with a soft creak.

The inside of the Rosa Mansion was just as beautiful and rustic as the wooden paneling outside hinted at. Light brown wood, the soft smell of pine (or maybe some sort of oak) filled the room, giving off an aura of relaxation and nostalgia. The room itself was not very large, maybe about the size of a classroom. But an old wooden staircase hinted at the likelihood of a second floor above the first. Old, upholstered chairs were placed around in a small conversation circle in middle of the small room, with a small coffee table in the middle of them. Aside from a door in the side of the foyer, there wasn't anything else in the first floor.

Climbing the staircase, Shimako looked back with a cute smile. "I believe everyone is in the meeting room on the second floor."

As the trio arrived on the second floor landing, and Shimako put her hand on the doorknob of the only room on the floor, a loud voice rang out from the other side.

"I absolutely refuse! There is no way! Onee-sama is being mean!"

Yumi and Tsutako both blinked, surprised by the sudden shout.

"Oh, good. It looks like Sachiko-sama is here." Shimako smiled and stepped to the side, leaving Yumi and Tsutako in front of the door. "Go ahead in, please."

"Rehhh?" Yumi sounded in surprise. "Y-you mean, that was Sachiko-sama?"

"Fine! Then I will go at once!" The voice sounded again.

Suddenly, the door in front of Yumi opened with a loud creak. Tsutako stepped deftly out of the way. It was too late for Yumi.

Out of the corner of her eye, Yumi saw a figure fly out of the door. She felt a light impact to her body. There was spinning, her sight tilted on its side, the ceiling went to the floor, and she felt a heavy impact on her backside.

"Ahh!"

"Uwah!"

The two voices sounded out as one, as both bodies tumbled to the ground in a mass of uniform and tangled limbs.

"Are you alright?" Shimako's voice came out, concerned.

"Wow! That was cool!" Tsutako snorted in a very unladylike fashion, and the familiar 'click' of her camera was heard.

"Tsutako…san…" Yuki groaned and blinked her eyes, trying to get her orientation fixed. As her vision righted itself, her breath hitched in her throat, in a very similar fashion as that morning.

Jet black hair hung over her face. Dark blue eyes stared down at her, wide-eyed and surprised. Lips parted, taking slow, shallow breaths. Sachiko Ogasawara lay on top of her, the picture perfect for of shock and concern apparent in her face.

"Y-you…" She whispered softly, staring down at Yumi. "You are… the girl from this morning…?"

Yumi felt her body freeze and her limbs stiffen. Somehow, she felt as though she stumbled into a huge issue. Something that would change her life forever.

0 – 0 – 0

 **End of Episode**

A/N: For giggles the working title for this, in my mind, was "MariMite Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin Spaaaaaaaaaaaaace!"

You get yourself your very own cookie if you got the reference.

Thanks for reading!

***Will work for glomps***


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